HELP!: A 10-Day Devotional by Brandon LakeSample

David is someone in the Bible who continually recognized his reliance on the Lord and was not afraid to cry out for help. He also never shied away from processing his feelings with God. See, God wants it all. He wants our raw emotion, and David definitely gave that to Him.

David experienced much hurt in his life. He walked through betrayal, fear, hiding, loneliness, and more. In Psalm 54:1, after tasting betrayal, he cries out, “Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might.” And he speaks very vulnerably in the following: “Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked” (Psalm 3:7). There’s no holding back here. He let it all out to God and trusted God to deliver him.

For me, the song “Save Me” reflects my raw emotion and represents a cry for help. It was written one night when I was panicking and having anxiety. I’d had a fight with my wife and isolated myself rather than sharing with her what was going on. I knew I needed to verbalize what I was feeling, but I didn’t want to talk with anyone about it—so I wrote it down, and it ultimately ended in me acknowledging that I needed (and found) someone to save me…namely God.

Next time you’re feeling yourself enter a very dark place, I encourage you to write down your thoughts or give voice to your feelings in some way by talking to God. Let Him know what’s going on in your heart, even if you don’t want to talk about it with anyone else. He is the ultimate listening ear—and He is so faithful to deliver.